


Everything Happens for a Reason

by Gerstein03



Category: Sons of Anarchy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And House too, Bobby knows Clay killed Donna, Breaking Bad too I guess, F/M, I wrote this cause Jax is an asshole in the last two and a half seasons, It was a dropped plot point from season one, Opie was the most morally good of the Sons, Please keep in mind, Stahl told him when he was in prison, Tara hates Jax, this is in that mindset
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:14:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21622804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gerstein03/pseuds/Gerstein03
Summary: After the death of Donna, Opie finds comfort in Tara while she refuses to be with Jax cause he's a dick
Relationships: Clay Morrow/Gemma Teller Morrow, Donna Winston/Opie Winston, Jax Teller & Clay Morrow, Jax Teller & Opie Winston, Jax Teller & Tara Knowles, Tara Knowles/Opie Winston
Comments: 59
Kudos: 17





	1. The Death of Donna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tara helps Opie mourns Donna while Jax tries and fails to reconnect with her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place from the end of S1 e13 to the end of S2 e2

Jax woke up in the cemetery where he had slept. He rubbed his eyes and walked to where Donna’s funeral was happening. He saw his best friend sitting with his children along with the rest of SAMCRO, including Clay and Tig, who according to Hale were responsible for Donna’s death. He also saw Tara sitting in front of Juice who had Jax’s cut and Wendy next to Gemma. Tara eyed Jax with spite in her face. Jax took his cut from Juice and put it on. Jax paid his respects to Donna and wandered off to visit his father. After the funeral, Opie approached Tara and asked, “Everything alright with you and Jax?”

“No. We broke up.” Tara answered. “I don’t wanna talk about it. Wendy can have him for all I care.”

“Okay.” Opie shrugged.

“I’m really sorry about Donna Ope.” Tara said. “If there’s anything I can do, I’m there for you.”

“Actually there is something you can do.” Opie said. “I’m gonna go out of town for a few weeks and clear my head. I need you to watch the kids. There’s no one I trust more to do it.”

“Of course.” Tara replied. “Anytime you need me to I can.”

“Thanks Tara.” Opie said gratefully. “Means a lot.”

\---

Three weeks later, Opie rode back into Charming. He went to Tara’s to see how his kids were doing.

“Hey Ope.” Tara said when he arrived. “How’s it goin’?”

“Not sure.” Opie admitted. “I thought some time away might help but I’m still not sure what to do.”

“I get it. You miss Donna.” Tara said. “It’s okay. We’re here for you.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” Opie said. “How’s things with you and Jax?”

“Same.” Tara sighed. “Haven’t seen him since the funeral.”

“Well I’m gonna see him at the clubhouse soon.” Opie said. “Want me to give him a message?”

“Yeah. ‘Go fuck yourself’.” Tara growled.

“The hell did he do?” Opie scoffed.

“One fight and he goes back to his junkie ex.” Tara explained. “And then he accused me of being afraid of commitment and and running. I thought about it a lot and I decided that after everything with Wendy, his mother, our fight, the life you lead, I don’t wanna be with him.”

“Got it. I’ll pass on the message.” Opie chuckled. “Good to see you. Say hi to the kids for me. I’ll come pick them up later.” Opie got back on his bike and rode to the clubhouse where the rest were waiting.

“Hey Ope. Welcome back man.” Jax said. “How was your trip?”

“Good.” Opie answered. “Tara says ‘go fuck yourself’.”

“She told you ‘bout Wendy huh?” Jax sighed.

“Yeah.” Opie answered. They went into the clubhouse and sat down to discuss retaliation for Donna. Clay fingered a Mayan to frame for it and Jax, Opie, Chibs, and Tig carry it out. Opie marks the Mayan as a SAMCRO kill but Jax changes it to look like the Niners. After they finish, they return to the clubhouse for Bobby’s welcome home party where they are unexpectedly threatened by a man named Ethan Zobelle, a member of a white supremisist group called L.O.A.N. Clay tells him to leave and the party continues. Afterwards, Opie drives to Tara’s to get his kids home. He knocks on the door and Tara answers.

“Hey Ope.” Tara said. “Come in. The kids are asleep.”

“Thanks again for looking after them Tara.” Opie said as he entered her house. 

“No problem.” Tara replied. She noticed Opie looked tired and asked, “Are you alright?” After a long pause, Opie answered, “No. I killed the man who killed Donna today. I didn’t feel any better though. Just empty.”

“Jesus.” Tara muttered. “If you need some company, you can stay here tonight since the kids are already asleep. We could watch a movie or something. I have Ferris Bueller. That always cheered you up as a kid.” Opie thought about it and decided why the hell not. Tara put in the DVD and the pair sat back on the couch and before long, they were laughing at the crazy bullshit that Ferris pulled throughout the entire movie from the phone call with Rooney to the Parade. Tara was glad that she was able to help Opie take his mind off of Donna, even if it was only for an hour and a half. By the time the movie finished, they had passed out on the couch.

\---

There was a knock at the door around midnight. Opie awoke and Tara stirred against his shoulder.

“Who is it?” Tara asked sleepily.

“I don’t know.” Opie said. “I’ll check.” He stood up and walked over to the door. He opened it to find Unser holding Gemma who looked bruised and battered and beaten.

“Jesus.” Opie gasped. “What happened?”

“I got an anonymous tip that she was at a warehouse.” Unser explained. “Found her beaten up there. She needs Tara.”

“Okay uh set her down on the couch.” Opie said. Unser helped Gemma in and sat her down. Unser filled Tara in and she went to get her medbag.

“Gemma you need to tell me what happened.” Tara said after she finished cleaning her up.

“Use your imagination.” Gemma muttered.

“Jesus Christ.” Opie sighed.

“We should let her rest a while.” Unser said.

“We need to get her to a hospital.” Tara stated.

“No hospital.” Gemma replied.

“Gemma I can’t treat you in my living room.” Tara said.

“I’d have to check it.” Gemma explained. “There’d be insurance and shit. Then everyone would know.”

“We could make it look like you were in a car accident.” Opie suggested. “Unser and I could stage a wreck while Tara takes you to the hospital.”

“Okay.” Gemma conceded. “You can’t tell anyone.”

“We gotta tell Clay.” Unser protested.

“No. Not Clay, not Jax, no one.” Gemma insisted.

“Alright.” Unser sighed.

“Fine.” Tara muttered.

“Okay.” Opie replied. After agreeing to Gemma’s terms, Opie and Unser walked out the door.

“Okay let’s get you to your house and get some clean clothes.” Tara said. “Then I’ll take you to Saint Thomas.”

“Why was Opie here?” Gemma asked.

“He came to pick up his kids but he wasn’t feeling great so I offered to keep him company.” Tara answered.

“Ah. And how did you keep him company Tara?” Gemma asked.

“We just watched Ferris Bueller.” Tara answered. “Nothing to worry about.”

“Okay.” Gemma sighed.

\---

After wrecking Gemma’s car, Unser went to find Clay and informed him that Gemma had been in a wreck. The guys all went to the hospital to see how she was doing. Jax went up to Tara and asked, “Is Gemma gonna be okay?”

“Yes Jax.” Tara said, not looking up at him. “She’ll be fine.”

“Can we talk?” Jax asked.

“I have nothing to say to you.” Tara replied. “You think I’m a coward who runs at the first sign of trouble. You accused me of manipulating you to get rid of Kohn.”

“Look I’m sorry for what I said to you.” Jax said. “It was hurtful and wrong and I’m sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t undo what you said.” Tara replied. “It doesn’t get rid of the hurt.”

“Tara-” Jax started but Tara cut him off.

“I hope you and Wendy are happy Jax.” Tara snapped. She stormed off and Jax watched her go. Clay came up to him and asked, “What was that about? “

“None of your goddamn business.” Jax growled.

“Alright let’s talk about something that is my business.” Clay said cooly. “They found that Mayan Ope killed. He was throwin’ up nine. Brown’s a little pissed at Black.”

“I made a call, for the good of the club.” Jax snapped. They were interrupted by Unser who informed about Luann’s studio being raided. After dealing with that, the club voted to enter a partnership with Luann. During a gun deal with the Niners, the Mayans showed up and stole the guns. Bobby was injured in the fight and Clay was forced to return the money for the guns to Leroy. After the gun deal, SAMCRO brought Bobby back to the clubhouse and Tara patched him up. After Tara finished, she saw Jax storm out of the chapal. He brushed past Opie and left the clubhouse and went home.

“What’s his problem?” Tara asked Opie.

“I think he’s just got some beef with Clay.” Opie shrugged. “It’ll work itself out.” Tara nodded. Opie took a sip of his beer and without thinking asked, “Do you wanna do something?”

“What do you mean?” Tara asked.

“I mean do you wanna go to a movie, go bowling, get a beer.” Opie answered. “Just hang out as friends like we did in high school. Dad’s watching the kids and I need some company outside SAMCRO tonight.”

“Sure.” Tara shrugged. “A beer sounds nice.” As the pair we leaving, Tig stopped them and said, “Don’t forget Ope the SAMCRO paintball game is tomorrow so don’t drink too much.”

“Got it.” Opie said.

“SAMCRO paintball game?” Tara asked.

“Yeah we decided to have a game of paintball with the members of SAMCRO.” Tig explained. “The idea came up to let off some steam. Unfortunately we’re short a person since Gemma is in the hospital. Wait. You could be our tenth.”

“Me?” Tara asked. 

“Yeah. You can take Gemma’s place.” Tig said. “Teams are Clay, Chibs, Half-Sack, Bobby, and Juice and Me, Ope, Jax, Happy, and, if you agree, you.”

“I think I’d be a little out of place.” Tara said.

“It’s a game for SAMCRO and it’s closest associates.” Opie said. “You just pulled a bullet out of Bobby’s shoulder. I think that qualifies.”

“I don’t really know how to play.” Tara stammered.

“Opie’ll show you.” Tig said. “You’re gonna hang out tonight and he’s got some paintball guns. He can show you how to use ‘em.”

“Alright.” Tara agreed.

“Yes!” Tig exclaimed. “Now we got a shot at winning!” Tara and Opie went to Opie’s place to pick up his paintball gear and drove to Tara’s for Opie to teach Tara to use the paintball guns, as she had a bigger front yard. Opie set up a target for Tara to shoot and showed her how to use the guns. He modeled aiming and he hit the target.

“Okay. Your turn.” Opie said. Tara aimed the gun at the target and pulled the trigger. She missed the target and groaned in frustration.

“Hey relax.” Opie said. “It’s your first time. Let me show you.” He placed his hands on Tara’s and stood behind her and held up the gun, helping her aim. Tara pulled the trigger and hit the bullseye.

“Ha!” Tara exclaimed.

“See you got it.” Opie laughed. “Just need some practice.”

“Thanks Opie.” Tara chuckled. Opie wrapped his arm around her shoulder and walked her to her door.

“I had fun with you Tara.” Opie said. “It’s nice to take my mind off Donna for a little while.”

“No problem.” Tara replied. As Opie turned to leave she called back to him, “Hey it’s pretty late. Why don’t you stay the night. Piney’s watching the kids right?” Opie considered it for a moment and said, “Okay. We can ride up to the paintball field in the morning.” He went followed Tara inside and unbeknownst to them, Jax was watching from across the street.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of you have read any of my previous shit, which I recommend you do (shameless plug), you know I am a big fan of  
> Sons of Anarchy so I decided to take a crack at writing for it. Opie and Tara are two of my favorite characters on the show and I found myself wondering what they would have been like together since Tara and Donna are very similar people and Opie would've never done the kind of shit Jax did to Tara to either Tara or Donna. About two days of being bored over Thanksgiving later, this came into existence. Anyway, please enjoy. Updates will occur whenever I finish


	2. Paintball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> SAMCRO plays a game of paintball

Opie woke up in Tara’s guest bedroom around 7:00. He was in an oddly okay mood. He got out of bed and got dressed and went to see if Tara was awake yet. He quietly opened her bedroom door and saw her sleeping soundly. He closed it quietly and decided to do something nice for her as a thanks for letting him stay the night. An hour later, Tara awoke to the smell of bacon wafting through the house. She got up and dressed and went into the kitchen to see what was going on. She saw that Opie had prepared breakfast. He’d made pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, and was finishing the bacon.

“Hey. Mornin’ Tara.” Opie said.

“What is all this?” Tara laughed.

“I made breakfast.” Opie answered. “Just my way of saying thanks for letting me stay the night and helping out with my kids while I was away. The bacon should be done in a sec. Grab a plate.” Tara got herself a plate of pancakes, eggs, and sausage and got a glass of orange juice. Opie wrapped up the bacon and got himself some food. He put the bacon on the table and commented, “Nice and crispy, just the way you like it.”

“Thanks Ope.” Tara chuckled. After breakfast, Opie put his paintball gear into his bag. He hopped onto his bike and as Tara was about to get in her cutlass Opie called to her, “Hey, you wanna ride on my bike?”

“Sure.” Tara shrugged. Opie handed her a helmet and said, “Hold on.” They rode to the paintball field where Jax, Clay, Tig, Chibs, and Juice were waiting. Clay and Jax saw them riding up and came out to greet them.

“Hey Doc.” Clay said, hugging Tara. “Glad you could make it. Tig told me you were fillin’ in for Gemma.”

“No problem.” Tara smiled. “Ope showed me how to use paintball guns last night and it seems kinda fun.”

“Is everyone here?” Opie asked.

“Still waitin’ on Hap, Bobby, and Half-Sack.” Clay answered. “They should be here soon.”

“Okay.” Opie shrugged. Jax pulled Opie aside and said, “Can we talk?”

“Sure.” Opie replied. The pair walked a little away from everyone else and Jax demanded, “The hell’s goin’ on with you and Tara?”

“What are you talkin’ about?” Opie asked.

“I saw you spent the night with her last night.” Jax stated.

“Yeah. It was late and she offered to let me stay in her guest bedroom.” Opie shrugged. “What’s the big deal? She’s been helpin’ me deal with Donna’s death.”

“Just back off, Ope.” Jax insisted.

“Do you think I’m moving in on your girl or something?” Opie asked, confused. “Who the hell are you to accuse me of that?”

“Look, Ope, Tara and I are dealin’ with some shit-” Jax started.

“No Tara told you to go fuck yourself.” Opie cut off. “I have no doubt that she doesn’t wanna be with you, now or ever.” Jax clenched a fist and growled, “Look, me and Tara is my problem and I don’t need you getting involved. And I sure as hell don’t need your input.”

“Well I’m gonna give it anyway.” Opie snapped. “You’ve never had a clear head when it came to Tara. You act rashly, jump to conclusions, and make destructive decisions. You threw Kohn out a goddamn window and that’s a perfect example of the rash, destructive things you do when it comes to Tara. You just accused me of seeing her behind your back because she invited me into her house, even though we’ve been friends for years.” Jax fell silent, unable to come up with a rebuttal. Opie shoved past him and rejoined the rest.

“What was that about?” Tara asked.

“Jax accused me of screwing you.” Opie answered, his tone angry.

“Jesus Jax.” Clay muttered. Tara marched over to Jax and slapped him in the face.

“You piece of shit!” Tara shouted. “I am not your Old Lady! What I do and who I sleep with is none of your business!” At that moment Bobby, Half-Sack, and Happy rode up and saw Tara slap Jax and scream at him.

“The hell’s goin’ on?” Bobby asked.

“Jax accused Opie of sleeping with Tara.” Tig answered. “Neither of them took it well.”

“Damnit Jax.” Bobby muttered. The group gathered to prepare for the paintball game.

“Okay since we had an unexpected alternate, I’ve decided that we’re going to change up the teams.” Clay said. “This time we’re doing Captains. Captains will be me and Jax. Since I’m President, I’ll pick first. Tara.” Jax glared at Clay but didn’t say anything.

“Chibs.” Jax picked.

“Bobby.”

“Happy.”

“Tig.”

“Juice.”

“Opie.”

“Half-Sack.”

After picking teams, the group made their way to the paintball field. Jax’s team went to one side of the field and Clay’s went to the other. The guy running the match explained the goal was to get to the center of the field and ring the bell. He rang the bell to start the match. Both teams moved to get within range of the other and opened fire. On Clay’s team, Bobby and Tig lay down cover fire while Clay, Opie, and Tara advanced. On Jax’s team, Happy, Juice, and Half-Sack advanced from the left while Jax and Chibs advanced from the right. Bobby had a shot on Juice and took it, getting him out. Before he could duck, Happy and Half-Sack got him out. Tig fired on Happy and Half-Sack getting, Half-Sack out, but also getting out in the process thanks to Happy. Happy fired on Clay’s location while Clay ducked behind cover. Jax raced out from cover and rushed towards the bell, only to barely avoid being hit by Opie.

“Tara go ring the bell!” Clay shouted. “Ope, cover her!” Clay fired at Happy, getting him out, only to be shot by Chibs, who was in turn shot by Opie. Opie and Tara rushed the bell, only for Jax to shoot Opie out.

“Tara I just wanna talk.” Jax started, both he and Tara aiming guns at each other. Tara pulled the trigger and snapped, “Go to hell.” She rang the bell and Clay’s team won. They moved to a different course where they would play a different game. They would play free-for-all with one teammate.

“Okay. I’ll pick the teams.” Clay said. “Me and Tig, Tara and Opie, Jax and Bobby, Chibs and Half-Sack, and Happy and Juice.” They all went to hide in different parts of the map. Bobby and Jax found some bushes to hide in.

“Jax what’s goin’ on with you lately?” Bobby asked. “You’ve been goin’ against Clay, now you’re accusing’ Ope of sleeping with Tara.”

“I don’t wanna talk about it Bobby.” Jax replied.

“Look I know why you’re pissed at Clay.” Bobby admitted. “Stahl told me about Donna, thinking I wouldn’t be alive to tell anyone.”

“So you know Clay had Donna killed.” Jax said.

“Yes. ” Bobby said. “But I don’t know why you’re at odds with Tara and Opie.” Jax didn’t reply. The game started and Jax and Bobby crept out looking for other teams. They soon found Happy and Juice and quickly took them out. Tig and Clay moved towards a vantage point to get a better look at the playing field when they were shot at by Chibs and Half-Sack. 

“Tig, circle around and try to get them from behind.” Clay said. “I’ll keep them distracted. Tig climbed down to flank Chibs and Half-Sack when he was shot numerous times by Tara and Opie. Clay heard the shots and turned, giving Half-Sack the opportunity to snipe Clay.

“Good job Prospect.” Chibs chuckled. He heard light footsteps behind him and fired his gun. He got Bobby in the shoulder and barely missed Jax.

“Damn!” Jax groaned, now without a partner. He would need to play it smart.

“Chibs, Half-Sack, and Jax are over there.” Tara said to Opie. “You try and take out Half-Sack from the sniper so Jax or Chibs can take the other out. Then when the last one comes over here, I’ll shoot ‘em.” Opie nodded. He went up to the sniper tower and aimed at Half-Sack and Chibs, waiting for them to move. He saw Jax move and instinctively shot him. Chibs and Half-Sack fired at Opie who ducked. Opie climbed out of the tower and returned to Tara.

“You were supposed to take out Half-Sack.” Tara said.

“I know. Sorry.” Opie said. “New plan: when they come this way, we gun them down.” Chibs and Half-Sack cautiously stepped out from behind cover, unsure of where Opie and Tara were hiding. Opie and Tara waited patiently until they were in their sights and fired. Tara shot Chibs and Opie shot Half-Sack, making them the winners.

“Yes!” Tara exclaimed. She and Opie high fived as they rejoined the others.

“I’d say this was a good club bonding experience.” Clay said. “Let’s do this again sometime.” The rest of the club agreed. As they were leaving, Jax approached Opie and said, “Hey look, about earlier, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t’ve accused you of sleeping with Tara. You’re right. I don’t have a clear head when it comes to Tara.”

“It’s alright man.” Opie replied. “Just try not to be an asshole in the future. And can I offer you some advice?”

“What?” Jax asked.

“You gotta get over Tara.” Opie said. “I know it’s hard to hear but I don’t think Tara is ever gonna wanna be with you. Her attitude towards you is filled with spite and I don’t see that changing any time soon. Sorry.” Jax hung his head in shame, knowing Opie was right but not wanting to admit it. Opie joined Tara on his bike and drove towards her house. When they stopped at the curb, Tara dismounted and asked, “You wanna come in and have a beer? To celebrate winning paintball.”

“Sure.” Opie shrugged. They went inside and cracked open some beers. They talked while they drank, laughing and enjoying each other’s company. After a while a slightly tipsy Tara asked, “Why did Jax think we were having sex?”

“He said he saw you invite me inside last night and he jumped to the conclusion that we were sleeping together.” Opie shrugged, waving it off. “Why?” Tara put down her beer and without warning pressed her lips to Opie’s. She held it for a second but then broke the kiss.

“I’m sorry.” Tara groaned. “God I’m sorry Ope. I shouldn’t’ve done that. I don’t know why I did that. I know you’re still dealing with Donna and-” Opie cut her off with a kiss. The kiss was tender and passionate and Tara melted into it. She ran her fingers through Opie scraggly beard and pulled off his hat, running his fingers through his hair. Opie took off his cut and Tara unzipped his jacket. Opie removed his jacket and both removed their shirts. As they kissed, they kicked off their shoes. Tara started to unbutton his pants while Opie unbuttoned hers. They broke the kiss for a moment to remove their underwear. They stood naked, taking each other in. Tara ran her hands over Opie’s tattoos and pecks and smirked. She hopped up, hooking her legs around his waist, pressing against her chest and kissed him. Opie carried her to the bedroom and set her down on the bed and positioned himself above her entrance.

“You sure you wanna do this?” Opie asked.

“Yes.” Tara whispered. Tara moaned as Opie thrust himself inside her. With each thrust he increased in speed, pleasuring her more.

“Oh God Opie!” Tara moaned.

“Tara you’re beautiful.” Opie whispered. Tara bucked her hips against his as she felt the waves of intense pleasure wash over her. She flipped him over and began to ride his cock. Opie felt the pleasure build up until he couldn’t hold it in any longer. Tara collapsed beside him and drapped her arm over his chest.

“Quite the celebration.” Opie chuckled. After a few moments they were fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wasn't intending to get to this part this quickly but whatever. Hope you enjoyed it. Jax may or may not be less of an asshole in future chapters


	3. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Opie receives startling news from a surprising source. Clay enters into business with Henry Lin

Opie awoke the next morning feeling the best he felt since Donna died, like his life could actually have some meaning beyond this tragedy. He felt Tara stirr on his chest. He lightly kissed her forehead and rolled her over to leave. He got dressed and rode over to the clubhouse. Jax was sitting outside smoking a cigarette when Opie rolled in.

“Hey. Clay wants me to go up to Caracara for the opening.” Jax said. “Since Bobby’s still hurt he’s gonna take care of the bookkeeping. You wanna come?”

“Nah.” Opie replied. “Take Tig or Juice. They’ll love it.”

“Really bro?” Jax asked, surprised. “I was thinkin’ I take you up there to help you get your mind off Donna. Clay wants me running point on this since I brought it to the club and I thought I’d bring you in.”

“Actually today I’m feelin’ better than I have in a while.” Opie chuckled.

“Opie, Jax. Get in here.” Clay called. They went inside and sat down for a meeting.

“Hayes contacted me about getting us more guns to sell.” Clay stated. “Unfortunately he said no dice. However Henry Lin contacted me and offered his gun pipeline to us in exchange for getting giving him 10% kickback from the gun sales. I’m guessing he wants to take back some of the territory he lost to the Mayans.”

“We’re getting into business with the Chinese now?” Jax asked.

“The Irish are out.” Clay replied. “Unless we do this we’ll lose our business. Do you have a better idea?” Jax was silent. Clay called for a vote. It passed. Clay slammed the gavel and stood up. “Tig, Chibs, you come with me to meet with Lin. Juice, you head down to Caracara with Jax and Bobby, make sure everything runs smoothly with Luann. Opie, you have the garage since Gemma’s not comin’ in.”

“How’s she doin’?” Opie asked.

“Fine. Still a little banged up.” Clay answered. “Tig, Chibs, be ready to go in an hour.” The club left the table and went to deal with business. After they left the clubhouse, Opie got a call from Tara.

“Hey.” Tara chuckled over the phone. “I woke up and you were gone.”

“Yeah had to head to the clubhouse.” Opie replied. “But I’m running the garage today if you wanna come watch me work.”

“Maybe I will.” Tara laughed. While they were talking, Hale drove up to TM. Opie told Tara to hang on a second and went to speak with him. When Hale saw Opie, he nearly froze.

“What do you need Hale?” Opie asked.

“I came to tell Jax that his tip about the meth lab he told me about was bullshit.” Hale started, remembering what happened the last time he dealt with a devil to bring down the Sons, the reminder standing before him. “But that’s not true. It’s real. I’m gonna call it in to Unser now.”

“Okay.” Opie shrugged. The club now knew Hale wasn’t on Zobelle’s payroll.

“One more thing.” Hale said, his guilt now eating up at him. “Clay had Donna killed. Stahl made you look like a rat, wired your truck and phone. Clay put a hit out on you and killed Donna by mistake.” Opie was shocked. He turned around and went inside where Clay, Chibs, and Tig were preparing to meet Lin.

“Chibs, Tig, can you take a walk?” Opie said. By the tone of his voice they knew Opie needed to talk with Clay alone so they left the room.

“I know you had Donna killed.” Opie stated. Clay ran his hand across his head and replied, “Yes. It was an accident Opie.”

“I know. The hit was for me.” Opie said.

“I wanna make this right Ope.” Clay said. “Tell me how I can do that.”

“Stahl is the one who’s responsible for Donna’s death.” Opie stated. “You are gonna help me get her. You do that, I don’t bring this to the club.” Clay nodded and Opie left him to finish preparing for the meet with Lin. 

\---

Jax, Bobby, and Juice arrived at Luann’s studio for the opening. They were greeted with many scantily clad and beautiful women.

“Best vote we've ever taken.” Bobby chuckled. They walked up to Luann and greeted her. She gave them the grand tour and introduced them to the girls. One of them, Ima, seemed to take a liking to Jax.

“So what do you think?” Luann asked.

“I think we’ll do well as partners.” Jax answered. “But one thing: Bobby is gonna be your bookkeeper.”

“What?” Luann protested.

“This decision comes from Clay.” Jax stated. “Bobby’s just gonna make sure everything’s in order.” Luann relented and lead Bobby to the office where he would be able to do the books. Ima walked up to Jax and said, “Hey. I'm Ima.”

“Jax.” Jax introduced. Luann came back and said, Jax I see you've met Ima. She's our biggest draw right now.”

“That so darlin’?” Jax asked flirtatiously. He took her hand and kissed it.

“You guys are here to protect us?” Ima asked, giving Jax a sultry stare. “Because with men like Georgie Carusso, I’d feel so much safer with you watching over me.” Jax wrapped his arm around Ima and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe.”

“Everything is set up for the party tonight.” Luann stated. “Can I expect members of SAMCRO to be here?”

“Count on it.” Jax replied.

\---

Opie was restoring John Teller’s bike when Tara drove up to the garage. Opie’s face brightened when he saw her pull in, pulling his mind from what Hale had told him.

“Hey. Decided to come watch me work?” Opie chuckled.

“Oh yeah. It’s incredibly sexy watching you fix a motorcycle.” Tara replied teasingly. Opie laughed and pulled Tara in for a kiss.

“Hey Opie, you got a wre-oh.” Half-Sack said, surprised at the scene between Opie and Tara.

“Ah shit.” Opie muttered. “I’ll handle him.” Tara nodded and Opie pulled Half-Sack into the garage. “Look, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone about that.” Opie said. “Specifically Jax. It just happened last night and we wanted to see where it went.”

“Yeah sure man.” Half-Sack replied. “I don’t wanna do anything that’ll piss anyone off.”

“Keep that attitude, you just might make Patch.” Opie teased, patting Half-Sack on the shoulder.

“Actually I’ve been keeping track of when the end of the first year is.” Half-Sack stated. “It’s pretty soon.”

“Just keep up the good work and you’ll make Patch.” Opie said. He left the garage and returned to Tara.

“So how’d it go?” Tara asked warily.

“He’s not gonna say anything.” Opie answered.

“Okay.” Tara sighed. “We’re not gonna hide this forever right?”

“No of course not.” Opie answered. “It just happened and I think we should take a little time to see what this is without everyone else butting in, especially with how Jax will react when he finds out.”

“Jax can go to hell.” Tara grumbled. “I don’t care about Jax or what he thinks. I want you Ope. You are kind and honest and you always treat me right and would never do things that Jax has done. And I don’t want him to hold us back.” Opie, placing his hands on either side of her face, pulled Tara in for a kiss.

“He won’t.” Opie said. “I care about you Tara and I wanna be with you. There’s just one thing I need to do before I can move forward with you.”

“What?” Tara asked. Opie hesitated but decided he didn’t wanna keep secrets from Tara.

“Stahl made me look like a rat.” Opie said. “Clay put a hit on me and killed Donna by mistake. He’s gonna help me track down Stahl to make it right.”

“My God…” Tara gasped. “Opie I’m so sorry.” She hugged Opie and in that moment, Opie felt like everything would be okay.

\---

Clay, Tig, and Chibs arrived at Henry Lin’s restaurant, ready to enter this new business deal with the Chinese.

“Thanks for having us Henry.” Clay said.

“Thanks for coming.” Henry replied. “I look forward to being in business with you and SAMCRO. We will make a lot of money my friend. We have a good will gift for you.” Lin’s men brought out Chucky, who now only had one finger on each hand.

“Chibs, Tig, take Chucky outside.” Clay sighed. “Call Piney to come pick him up.” He was glad Lin had brought out Chucky so he had an excuse to send Chibs and Tig away. Chibs, Tig, and Chucky left the room. “Before we work out the details, I need a favor from you.” Clay said. “I need to track down an ATF agent. Agent June Stahl. She’s responsible for the death of a member’s wife.”

“I will need more details if I’m going to track down an ATF agent for one of your members to kill.” Lin stated.

“Fair enough.” Clay muttered. “Stahl made Opie Winston look like a rat. I ordered a hit on him behind the club’s back and his wife Donna was killed by mistake. Opie found out and I’m trying to make it right.” Lin nodded and said, “I’ll see what I can find out about this June Stahl.” Tig and Chibs came back in and they sorted out the details for the deal with the Chinese. As they were leaving, Piney arrived in the van.

“Chucky get in the van.” Clay ordered.

“I accept that.” Chucky replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay yeah at this point I'm just gonna say fuck the canon and do whatever I want. Enjoy. Since it's almost Christmas, the next chapter will be in the holiday spirit. If I don't post before Christmas, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you


	4. Christmas of Anarchy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clay and Opie deal with Stahl, Jax's anger comes to a breaking point, and Henry Lin gives Clay useful information

Gemma had just gotten back from the hospital and found that in her absence, Clay had set up everything for Christmas. The tree, the lights, everything.

“Baby you didn’t have to do this.” Gemma said.

“Yeah I know but I wanted to.” Clay smiled. “Just so I could take some of the burden off your shoulders.”

“Will Jax be coming over?” Gemma asked.

“Yeah I talked to him.” Clay answered. “He said he’d bring Abel too.”

“Good.” Gemma sighed. “How are things with you two?”

“Jax is still pissed about this whole Donna mess.” Clay muttered. “What’s worse is Opie found out about what happened. Hale told him. I’m doin’ everything I can to make it right with him. Having the Chinese track down Stahl.” Clay’s phone rang and he saw that Lin was calling him. “Speak of the devil.” Clay chuckled. He went into the other room to answer the phone.

“This about the deal or the other thing?” Clay asked.

“The other thing.” Lin answered. “We found June Stahl. Apparently she’s interested in the IRA. We decided to take the liberty of tracking the IRA to make sure we wouldn’t be compromising ourselves by getting into business with you and let’s just say that I’ve got a Christmas gift for you that I think you’ll enjoy. I’ll send you the location.”

“Okay.” Clay said. “We’ll be right there.” He told Gemma that he and Opie were going to take care of business. He and Opie met at a junkyard outside Charming where Lin had said to meet.

“So you had the chinese track down Stahl?” Opie asked.

“Yep.” Clay answered. “They found her and brought her here. Don’t worry Ope. You’ll get justice for Donna.” They approached Lin and his men and a badly beaten June Stahl, tied up and on her knees.

“What the hell is going on?” Stahl demanded.

“This is a social call.” Clay answered. “You’re gonna answer for what you did to Donna.”

“You had her killed Morrow!” Stahl shouted.

“And I gotta live with her blood on my hands for the rest of my life.” Clay replied, remorseful. “But you are just as responsible for her death as I am. So I’m gonna help Ope get justice for her the best I can. Got anything you wanna say Opie?”

“Yeah.” Opie answered. He drew his gun and pointed it at Stahl’s head.

“Opie I swear I never thought you or your family would get hurt.” Stahl said. “I underestimated Clay’s capacity for vengeance…”

“Shut up.” Opie ordered. “Donna was a beautiful woman. She was a wonderful mother she was an innocent in all this.” He lowered his gun and removed the mag, tossing it on the ground revealing it to be empty. “The outlaw had mercy. You remember that the next time you try to twist the truth to kill one of us.” Opie turned away from Stahl and Clay put a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m proud of you son.” He said. “It takes a lot of strength and even more heart to let someone who wronged you the way Stahl did live.”

“Yeah.” Opie sighed. “Thanks Clay.”

“So we’re good?” Clay asked.

“Not yet but we’re getting there.” Opie replied.

“Whatever it takes Ope.” Clay said. “I wanna make this up to you and I’ll do whatever I can to make that happen. I know I can never fully make this right but will do everything I can to make amends.” Opie nodded and turned around just in time to see one of Lin’s men shoot Stahl in the back of the head.

“Jesus Christ!” Opie yelled.

“Why the hell did you do that?!” Clay demanded.

“While it’s all well and good that letting her live was therapeutic, we couldn’t exactly let her tell her superiors what she saw of our operation.” Lin stated. “Since we assumed you would kill her we didn’t think it would be necessary to hide our operations.”

“Fair enough.” Clay sighed. “So what’s this ‘Christmas gift’ you have for us.” Lin pulled out a file and handed it to Clay.

“As I said, our ATF friend was investigating the IRA.” Lin said. “When we tailed them, we found them meeting with your friend Ethan Zobelle. Give this to your boy in Charming PD and with evidence of the IRA killing the ATF agent investigating them, it’ll look very bad for your ‘white power’ friend.”

“You son of a bitch.” Clay chuckled.

“So we’re cutting ties with the IRA?” Opie asked.

“I guess so.” Clay shrugged. “We pin Stahl’s death on the IRA and bring the IRA and anyone associated with them under heavy scrutiny. And if we cut ties with them then there will be nothing for them to trace back to the club. Just like that, all our problems are solved.”

\---

Clay rode up to the house and went inside where Jax and Gemma were waiting for him.

“Everything go well?” Gemma asked.

“Business with Lin has been taken care of.” Clay said. “He gave us the ticket to taking down Zobelle.”

“Why wasn’t this brought to the club?” Jax snapped.

“Because I got the call this morning saying he wanted to meet so I called Opie and asked him to come with me.” Clay answered. “I didn’t do anything behind the club’s back and this information will be presented at church tomorrow. Then we can give it to Unser who’ll use it to take down Zobelle.” Clay got himself a plate of spaghetti and the two of them ate without saying another word to each other. As Jax prepared to leave Clay stopped him.

“I need to talk to you Jax.” Clay said.

“What?” Jax demanded.

“I need you to move past your beef with me when it comes to the club.” Clay said. “The others are startin’ to see it affect your decisions. They won’t respect you if you keep lettin’ personal shit get in the way of your decisions when it comes to SAMCRO and you sure as hell need to get that temper of yours under control. I want you to be president after me but they won’t follow you if you lose their respect now because your mad at me.” Clay turned to go back inside but called back to Jax, “And for what it’s worth, Ope and I are making amends for what happened with Donna.” Jax got on his bike and rode down to TM and saw Opie and Tara kiss and the rest of the club watching. He heard some of the club somewhat encouraging the relationship and it caused Jax’s blood to boil. He got off his bike, grabbed Opie, and slammed his face on the table.

\---

Opie went for a ride after the meeting with the Chinese,feeling a sense of peace. Donna had been avenged but more importantly he had chosen to honor her memory by not killing Stahl. When he rode back into town, he passed by TM and saw Tara and Bobby walking out of the clubhouse, Tig, Happy and Juice sitting at the table, Chibs and Half-Sack at the fighting ring.

“Thanks for checkin’ on my shoulder Doc.” Bobby said.

“No problem.” Tara replied. Opie parked his bike and marched up to Tara. He grabbed both sides of her face and kissed her, not caring that the entire club was watching. The rest of the club except Half-Sack were surprised but didn’t say anything.

“So uh, when did this happen?” Tig asked.

“After the paintball game.” Opie answered.

“Hey good for you man.” Juice said. “Way to get back out there.”

“Yeah.” Bobby said in agreement. “Take care of Ope Tara. He means a lot to us.”

“Thanks for being so supportive guys.” Tara chuckled.

“Well you’re both adults so it’s not our place to tell you what to do or get involved.” Chibs said. “If you make each other happy than who are we to get in your way?” Suddenly Jax came up behind them and slammed Opie’s face on the table.

“You son of a bitch!” Jax roared as Tig and Bobby pulled him away. He hit Tig in the face with his elbow and pushed Bobby off of him.

“Jax stop!” Tara yelled. Jax in his rage forcefully pushed Tara onto the ground.

“Oh shit Tara!” Jax said panicked when he realized what he’d done. He tried to help her up but was shoved away by Bobby.

“Back the hell off man.” Bobby ordered. “Happy, Half-Sack, take Jax into the garage.” Happy and Half-Sack led Jax to the garage while Chibs checked on Opie and Tara.

“You two alright?” Chibs asked.

“Yeah.” Opie groaned.

“I’m good. Thanks Chibs.” Tara said.

“Get Clay down here.” Bobby said to Tig. “We need to take a vote regarding Jax.” Tig called Clay down, telling him it was important. Clay rode down and everyone except Jax sat down at the table.

“So what’s so important that you had to call me down here in the middle of the night on Christmas?” Clay sighed.

“Jax attacked Ope and hurt Tara in the process.” Bobby stated. “He’s in the garage with Hap and Half-Sack.”

“Jesus Christ.” Clay groaned. “So what’s the vote? Excommunication?”

“No I don’t propose we take his patch.” Bobby said. “At least not permanently. I say we strip him of his VP patch and take his patch temporarily so he can take some time to get his head on right.” Clay nodded and said, “Alright. Vote’s gotta be unanimous. All in favor of Jax losing his VP patch?” Everyone voted yes at once. “And all in favor of Jax losing his full patch temporarily?” Clay asked. “Yea.”

“Yea.” Tig agreed.

“Yea.” Chibs sighed.

“Yea.” Opie growled.

“Yea.” Juice said.

“Yea.” Bobby nodded.

“Okay.” Clay said. He slammed the gavel and told Tig to send Jax in. Jax sat down next to Clay.

“It passed didn’t it?” Jax sighed.

“You’re gonna have to be more specific.” Clay snapped.

“I got voted out.” Jax said.

“Temporarily.” Clay replied. “And you lost the VP patch. This is what I was talkin’ about Jax. You couldn’t control your goddamn temper and you lost the respect of the entire club! Not to mention you could’ve hurt Tara!” Jax remained silent, knowing Clay was right. Clay rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed, “Take the cut and rings off and get the hell out of here.” As Jax stormed out, Clay called Opie into the chapel.

“Yeah?” Opie asked.

“Sit down Ope.” Clay said. He grabbed Jax’s cut and removed the VP patch from it and handed Opie the VP patch.

“You serious?” Opie asked.

“You earned it Opie.” Clay said. “The way you handled things with Stahl, how you can keep your emotions under control, and the fact that no matter what, you always have the club’s best interests at heart. You keep a cool head and that’s the kind of qualities I need in a VP. I’ll let you sew it on.”

“Thanks Clay.” Opie chuckled. Clay patted Opie on the shoulder as he set to work on putting the patch on his cut.

“Merry Christmas Opie.” Clay said as he left the chapel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I wasn't intending to depict Jax as a self-righteous temperamental asshole but that's where it went so I just ran with it. I honestly liked that Opie sparred Stahl but at the same time I'm kinda dodging any reason to keep her around so I decided, fuck it. She can die here. Let me know what you think of this chapter, specifically Jax being kicked out. Enjoy and Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. I'm still on winter break so I can still say that


	5. The Fallen Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clay clears the air with Alvarez and Leroy and creates a new alliance with them. Meanwhile, Opie gets surprise for Half-Sack and Jax meets a new ally

Jax sat against his father’s tombstone thinking about everything that had happened that night. Opie and Tara, being kicked out of the club, losing the VP patch. Because of Opie, he’d lost Tara and his club. He pulled out his phone and stared at a picture of him and Wendy when they got married. He knew Abel was with her tonight. He sighed and dialed a number into his phone.

“Hey.” Jax said. “You wanna come over to my place? I could use some company tonight. Okay. See you there.” Jax shut his phone and got in his car and drove home. He poured himself a glass of whiskey and waited for the doorbell to ring. When it did, Jax got up and went to the door.

“Hey.” Jax welcomed. “Glad you could come.”

“My pleasure.” Ima purred. “Can’t say I was surprised to get your call.”

“What can I say?” Jax chuckled. “Guess I wanted to have some fun and take my mind off things.” Jax pulled Ima in for a kiss and they quickly began to undress and the pair had passionate, angry, lustful sex.

\---

A few days after Jax lost his patch, the Sons met at the clubhouse to discuss a few housekeeping things.

“Alright, first thing’s first, now that the partnership between the Mayans and Zobelle is dead, I think it’s time to mend a few fences with Alverez.” Clay stated.

“How do we do that?” Tig asked. “We’ve got problems with him because thanks to Jax he thinks the Niners killed one of his guys and we backed the Niners against Mayan retaliation.”

“We use Jax as a scapegoat.” Clay answered. “We tell him Jax has been acting irrationally and killed a Mayan but to keep it from blowing back on the club tagged it as a Niner kill. Say we took his VP patch and kicked him out temporarily until he gets his head on straight. And we tell Alverez that the only reason it’s temporary is out of respect for the fact that is father founded this club.”

“Suppose that’s all close enough to the truth.” Opie chuckled.

“Won’t this piss Jax off?” Juice asked.

“Yeah probably but right now, I don’t really give a shit what pisses Jax off.” Clay scoffed. “And if he ever hopes to earn his way back into the club then he better not do anything stupid. If that’s everything...”

“Actually I would like to bring something to the table.” Opie said. “I propose we bring Half-Sack into the club, make him a full member.”

“Alright Ope.” Clay shrugged. “You’re sponsoring him. All in favor?” Everyone voted “yea” in unison. “Okay.” Clay said, slamming the gavel. “Opie, you bring Half-Sack his patch.”

“Actually I would like to keep it a secret.” Opie replied. “I have a surprise in mind for him.”

“Alright.” Clay shrugged. “Meeting adjourned.” Opie left the clubhouse and stood outside. He dialed a number into his phone and said, “Hey. This is the Vice President of SAMCRO. He got voted out because he’s been doing some bad shit. I need you to send that friend of ours we sent over back to Charming. First flight so they’re back by tomorrow. No don’t worry is safe. Okay. Thanks.” As Opie hung up, he saw Tara drive over in the cutlass.

“Hey Mr. Vice President.” Tara teased.

“Hey Tara.” Opie chuckled.

“How’s everything with the club?” Tara asked.

“We’re getting back on our feet.” Opie answered. “Now that Stahl and the IRA are dealt with we can move forward.”

“Opie I don’t know how I feel about gun running.” Tara sighed. “I don’t wanna end up like Donna and be waiting for you to get out of prison for five years.”

“Jax may be dealing with some shit but he was right about one thing.” Opie stated. “While I’m VP I can implement some legit sources of revenue and once Clay steps down I can move away from guns. Once us, the Mayans, the Chinese, and the Niners sing kumbaya, it should be easy to get them to work together without us being too involved.”

“You promise?” Tara said with a pleading look.

“I will do everything I can to not end up in prison or dead.” Opie agreed.

\---

“So you kicked your boy out after you found out he killed my guy?” Alvarez asked. He, Clay, and Leroy had all met to clear the air where Clay told them that Jax killed the Mayan.

“Yeah.” Clay sighed. “I’m sorry man. Jax acted without consent from the club and the death of the Mayan had nothing to do with the Niners or SAMCRO as a whole.”

“Why’d he do it?” Alvarez asked.

“Hell if I know.” Clay shrugged. “So are we all cool?”

“Yeah we cool.” Leroy replied. Alvarez nodded in agreement.

“Good.” Clay said. “Cause we got a new contact for gunrunning: Henry Lin. Far better for managing heat and doing business with than the IRA, especially since we just turned it up on them. So now, we can continue our business uninterrupted.”

\---

Jax got a call from a mysterious man asking him to meet him at a fast food chicken restaurant. He went over and ordered some food when a tall slender black man with glasses and an old white man sat down across from him.

“Who the hell are you?” Jax asked.

“A man looking to expand into a highly profitable marketplace, Mr. Teller.” The black man said in a soft, calculated voice. “My associates have kept tabs on your father Clay Morrow and the Sons of Anarchy over the past few years, and I’ve taken note of your relationship with the IRA.”

“What does this have to do with me?” Jax demanded.

“As you know Mr. Morrow has cut ties with the IRA.” The man explained. “They will have to give up Cameron Hayes to distance themselves from Ethan Zobelle, throw the IRA a bone and set Hayes up as a fall guy. I’m looking to expand into the gunrunning business. Not with the Mayans or the Niners, but with the Cartels in Mexico, specifically the Salamanca Cartel.”

“As in Hector Salamanca?” Jax inferred.

“Correct.” the man answered. “I have a drug trade with them and once I have the IRA gun trade, it will make both you and I very rich.”

“You still haven’t told me what this has to do with me.” Jax stated.

“I believe if you were to help the IRA get payback on your club, they would be more than happy to go into business with you and by extension, me.”

“What makes you think I would turn on my club?” Jax asked.

“I know you hate them for casting you out.” The man stated. “I know you resent Harry Winston for taking the woman you love from you. I know you blame Clay for Donna Winston, an innocent woman’s death. You’ve acted against them, doing what you thought was right, and they cast you out. But if that doesn’t convince you, I believe Morrow gave your Vice President’s patch to Mr. Winston.” An angry look spread across Jax’s face as he growled, “Fine. I’m in.”

“Excellent.” The man replied.

“Who are you anyway?” Jax asked as the man and his associate stood up.

“Gustavo Fring.” The man replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, I'm not dead. So yeah now we're doing Breaking Bad. Like with most things the idea just came to me and I decided, "You know what, fuck it. Why the hell not." I needed a new source of conflict anyway since thanks to Sutter's domino effect style of writing, I kinda removed all future conflict by having the club solve their early problems. Anyway, enjoy the brainchild of someone who doesn't know what the fuck he's doing


	6. Heisenberg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Walter White and Jesse Pinkman go to Charming and meet Jax Teller

Walt and Jesse wrapped up their cook when Victor came in.

“Is the cook ready?” Victor asked.

“Yes.” Walt answered.

“Good.” Victor said. “Mr. Fring needs you two to accompany him on a business meet in Charming California.”

“Why?” Walt asked.

“He needs to secure new business.” Victor stated. “A face to face with Heisenberg will help with that.”

“What kind of new business?” Walt asked.

“Not your concern.” Victor replied. “If Mr. Fring sees fit to tell you, he will.”

\---

Opie drove to the airport to pick up Cherry, having called her to see Half-Sack get patched in and celebrate. He took her back to the clubhouse where he saw Jax doing mechanic work.

“Go inside.” Opie said to Cherry as he walked up to Jax.

“What do you want Opie?” Jax asked. “I may have lost my patch but I can still help my mom run her business.”

“I wanted to try and clear the air.” Opie stated.

“What’s there to say?” Jax demanded. “You went after a girl you knew I loved and took my VP patch.”

“I didn’t ‘go after Tara’.” Opie said. “Not that it matters but she actually came onto me. And I didn’t take your VP patch. Clay gave it to me.”

“Maybe you wouldn’t’ve been so keen to be his VP if you knew how he killed Donna.” Jax snapped. At that comment, Opie punched Jax in the face.

“I did know Clay killed Donna.” Opie growled. “He’s also trying to amends for it. He helped me deal with Stahl.”

“You’re gonna regret that.” Jax snarled as he left. Jax drove to the location Gus had told him to meet him and went inside.

“Mr. Teller, welcome.” Gus smiled. With him were two men, one was bald and had a goatee and looked around 50 and the other was young and looked about 25.

“Who are these guys?” Jax asked.

“These are the manufacturers of my methamphetamine, Jesse Pinkman and Walter White.” Gus introduced. “Gentlemen, this is Jackson Teller, former member of the Sons of Anarchy.”

“So what are we doing?” Walt asked.

“We are going to set up a meeting with a man named Jimmy O’Phelan and get the IRA to sell us guns that we can sell to the Salamanca Cartel.” Gus answered. “You are here to sweeten the deal.”

“Makes sense.” Walt shrugged. “A large organization and the man who can make the best meth in the world is a tempting business proposition. So we’re clear, I don’t have to be involved in the gunrunning right?”

“Of course not.” Gus replied. “That will be Mr. Teller’s domain. I do hope we could continue to work together past these three months that we agreed to.”

“Yo, what’s Mr. Teller’s reasons for doing this?” Jesse asked. ‘I thought the Sons had a deal with the IRA or at least the ATF thought they did.”

“They did have a deal with the Sons of Anarchy.” Gus replied. “Until Clay Morrow sold them out to save their skins. Mr. Teller is our way in. He will work with the IRA to manage the gunrunning once SAMCRO is dealt with.”

“Which’ll be my pleasure.” Jax added. “They screwed me over and took my patch. My best friend betrayed me and stole the woman I loved. For that, SAMCRO will burn.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is short but I got a little writers block so I just decided to make myself write something as a transition chapter. Hope you enjoy. I swear my intent when I started this was not to make Jax into a traitor but fuck it I like where it's going


	7. Double Cross

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Opie and Tara plan for the future

Tara awoke early to find Opie missing from the bed. When she searched his house for him she found him in the bathroom with a razor.

“Hey.” Opie smiled seeing Tara in the mirror.

“You’re shaving?” Tara chuckled. “You haven’t shaved in a while.”

“Yeah well thought it was a little long.” Opie shrugged.

“You look like that guy from Remember the Titans.” Tara giggled. “I like it.”

“I’m glad.” Opie smiled. “I gotta get to the club.”

“Yeah I gotta get to work too.” Tara replied. “How’s Half-Sack?”

“Excited to be patched in.” Opie answered. “I’m betting he and Cherry had a hell of a night.”

“Love is in the air.” Tara grinned as she pressed her lips to Opie’s. “I like the clean shaven look. Don’t have to worry about your long and scratchy beard.”

“Good.” Opie smiled. “I’d hate to think you missed the beard.”

“Hey Ope there’s something I wanna ask you.” Tara said. “There’s a hospital in New Jersey that has an opening. I’d be able to learn from Gregory House. He’s one of the best doctors in the country. Do you think you can consider moving there with me?”

“Honestly Tara, after what happened with Donna and dating you, I’ve been thinking about getting out of the club for a while now.” Opie replied. “I don’t wanna lose you too. The club is in a good place. We have money and if you can get a job at another hospital and help make money than I’m not waiting.”

“Good cause he already told me the job was mine if I wanted it.” Tara smiled sheepishly.

“I’ll start making plans to leave.” Opie smiled. “I’m thinking before the week is out, we’re on a plane to New Jersey.”

\---

Opie arrived at TM where the rest of the club was waiting.

“Alright here’s what we got.” Clay said. “Our accounts are filling up fast and we’re bringing in a lot of money. Alvarez and Leroy are all squared away and we’re selling to both again. Now, there’s a guy who runs a pretty big drug operation who wants a meet with all of us. He wants in on the gunrunning, specifically down to Mexico.”

“We’re not getting involved in his operations right?” Bobby asked.

“No we’re just selling him guns.” Clay answered.

“Did we get a name?” Opie asked.

“No but he gave us the name of his cook: Heisenberg.” Clay answered. “Apparently he makes the purest crystal meth ever. He’s agreed to keep the meth business out of Charming. Since we’re not getting involved with drugs, I see no reason not to do business. Agreed?” The club voted yes so Clay, Opie, and Tig rode out to meet with this new contact outside Charming.

“So glad you could make it Mr. Morrow.” The man grinned. “My name is Gustavo Fring and these are m associates Mike and Victor.”

“You wanna discuss a gun deal?” Clay asked.

“Yes.” Fring answered. “I considered working with the IRA but since you’ve put them under quite a bit of scrutiny I decided to go with the Sons of Anarchy. My business will not take place in Charming as not to harm our working relationship.”

“Great.” Clay smiled. “However while I won’t have drugs in Charming I can put you in contact with Marcus Alverez, leader of the Mayans. He would love to help you expand your profits.”

“Thank you Mr. Morrow.” Fring smiled. “I hope this is the start of a long and prosperous relationship between us. As a show of good faith, I give you Jackson Teller, a former member who at the first opportunity agreed to work with me in order to see you burn.” Fring motioned for Mike to bring a tied up and beaten Jax from the car and dumped him at Clay’s feet.

\---

“For that, SAMCRO will burn.” Jax had said. Suddenly he felt a fist knock him in the back of the head. As he faded into unconsciousness he saw a blurry image of Mike standing over him. When he came to he was tied up in Gus’ warehouse.

“He’s awake.” Mike said.

“Good.” Gus replied.

“What the hell?!” Jax demanded. “Tell me what the fuck is going on!”

“You see Mr. Teller, I require a show of good faith with Clay Morrow given my business.” Gus explained. “I had no intention of working with the IRA. And you were simply a means to securing a deal with the Sons of Anarchy.”

“You son of a bitch!” Jax yelled. “You played me! You sold me out!”

“Correct, Mr. Teller.” Gus replied calmly, his voice even, lacking any trace of emotion.

\---

“Goddamnit Jax.” Clay grumbled. “Tig, get him up. After this I don’t think Jax’ll be getting his patch back.” They drove back to the clubhouse and called in a vote to kick Jax out permanently. That passed and the Mayhem vote almost did too but there was one holdout: Opie.

“As pissed as I am at Jax I don’t wanna see him die.” Opie explained. He found Clay after church to talk with him about leaving the club.

“You sure Opie?” Clay asked.

“Yeah I’m sure?” Opie answered. “After everything with Donna, Tara, and now Jax, I can’t do this anymore.”

“Well you’ll always have a seat at the table Ope.” Clay smiled, holding out his hand. “And whatever you need to get started in Jersey, just ask.”

“Thanks Clay.” Opie said shaking his hand. He rode over to Tara’s where he found her getting back from work. He rushed over to her and pressed his lips to her’s. “I’m out.” He smiled. “We have enough to get situated in New Jersey. We’re free.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Halle-motherfucking-lujah! I finally finished another chapter of this story. The fact that I haven't updated this in a while has been bugging me for months. There will be one more chapter and that will be the end. Anyway, enjoy


	8. A Better Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tara settles in to her new life

A week later Opie, Tara, and the kids were getting settled in to their new house in Princeton, New Jersey. Tara was getting ready for her first day at her new job working for Dr. House at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital. She kissed Opie goodbye and made her way to the hospital. When she went in, she met with the hospital’s Chief of Medicine, Lisa Cuddy.

“You are required to do clinic duty for three hours a day.” Cuddy stated.

“Okay.” Tara replied. “So what will I be doing?”

“Dr. House runs the diagnostics department.” Cuddy answered. “He specializes in rare cases with odd symptoms, this being because he is bored with normal everyday cases. He once had a case of leprosy.”

“Sounds like this’ll be interesting.” Tara smiled. She went up to the diagnostics department where she saw a black man with trimmed black hair and a goatee and a white blonde man with long hair sitting around a table.

“Ah you must be Dr. Knowles.” The white guy said with a thick australian accent. “I’m Dr. Chase and that’s Dr. Foreman.”

“Nice to meet you.” Tara said.

“Fair warning, our boss is a bit of a jackass.” Foreman stated.

“He’s in pain.” Chase protested tossing a ball over to Foreman. “It’s why he’s always taking Vicodin.”

“From what Wilson and Cuddy have said he was an ass before the leg.” Foreman rebutted, tossing the ball back. It was caught by a brunette girl Tara didn’t recognize.

“Hey!” Chase exclaimed, getting up to hug her. “What are you doing here?”

“I work here.” She answered. She turned to Tara and said, “I’m Dr. Cameron. You are?”

“Dr. Knowles.” Tara answered. “I was hired by Dr. House.”

“After Vogler left he wanted to make the team bigger as a kind of spite.” Chase explained.

“So how do you work here again?” Foreman asked.

“House practically begged me to come back.” Cameron answered.

“Tell me you took him to the cleaners.” Foreman said.

“Same lousy salary.” Cameron replied.

“Then why’d you do it?” Chase asked.

“Because this is the happiest place on earth.” A gruff man with a cane who was followed by another doctor answered. “Dr. Knowles I’m guessing?”

“Yes.” Tara answered.

“I’m Dr. House. This is Dr. Wilson.” House introduced.

“Nice to meet you.” Tara smiled.

“You too.” Wilson replied.

\---

When Tara got home, Opie was watching Ferris Buleur.

“Kids are asleep.” Opie stated. “How was the first day?”

“It was interesting.” Tara smiled. “My coworkers were nice. My boss is a bit of a dick but it’s a good job.”

“I’m glad.” Opie replied. “I would hate for us to have moved across the country for a job you hated.”

“Don’t worry Ope.” Tara chuckled. “I think this is a good fit and we can build a better future here.” She snuggled up next to Opie as he put his arm around her and the pair slowly drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extremely short conclusion. The episode of House this correlates to is season one episode 20. Hope you enjoyed this story. It was fun to write even if it was at times a challenge


End file.
